Trade group touts U.S. growth in exports to China

The U.S.-China Business Council, a trade group, says that exports from the United States to China have been growing strongly, and provided a breakdown by Congressional district.

Exports from the 20th district, represented by Congressman Chris Gibson, totaled $194 million in 2011, up from $154 million in 2010, according to the report, with paper products ($78 million), computers and electronics ($20 million) and waste and scrap ($19 million) the largest categories.

In the 21st, represented by Congressman Paul Tonko, exports in 2011 totaled $174 million, up from $145 million in 2010, with the largest categories machinery (except electrical) at $46 million, paper products ($31 million), and chemicals ($30 million).

The machinery includes generating equipment produced at General Electric Co.’s turbine division in Schenectady, a spokesman for the council said Monday. But he cautioned that if it’s not considered completely assembled, and stops elsewhere for finishing work, it might not be counted here, but at another site.

Nationwide, the top U.S. export to China in 2011 was power generation equipment, according to a separate report by the same group.

In the 20th, we’re surprised there’s not a figure for medical instruments; surely the so-called Catheter Valley, with its numerous manufacturers, would be selling in Asia.

The organization, whose members are U.S. corporations selling their products in China, wants U.S. agencies to do more to encourage those exports, including making sales to China a top priority of the U.S. Export-Import Bank, and removing any trade barriers that might exist.

And the U.S. still has quite a bit of catching up to do. While total U.S. exports to China in 2011 were $104 billion, imports were nearly four times that, totaling $399 billion.

One Response

Exporting American-made products (and now also services) is nothing new to me. I’ve been doing this since 1981. This “export-to-China” thing is like fashion. When the U.S. economy is down, companies look overseas for new sources of revenue — and exporting “suddenly” is in vogue.

One thing all new-to-export companies must know: it takes a number of years to get significant sales in any foreign market, not just China. Don’t give up if initial results are minimal to nil.